


The Bet

by thelimitofepic



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Aborted No Mercy Route, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Spoilers - Neutral Route, Spoilers - No Mercy Route, Spoilers - Pacifist Route, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 10:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5704291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelimitofepic/pseuds/thelimitofepic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“Bets are sort of like promises, only the consequences of failure are already pre-established.” </em>
</p><p>Near the end of a genocide route, Sans and Chara make a bet- the result of which may permanently alter the fate of the timelines. For Chara, winning means a chance to finally get the ending and revenge they want. For Sans, it’s his only option left to get back what he lost, and save the time space continuum. The terms of the bet were simple. There was one, and only one requirement for Chara to win: </p><p>Chara, the self proclaimed demon, had to complete a True Pacifist Run.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. t h e  E N D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It’s a fight to the death, in which one of the participants cannot die, and the other is done playing fair._

You were going to kill him.

You had finally managed to force your way through the hordes of monsters that inhabited the Underground. In your wake was a trail of dust as anyone who was either, too stupid, too dense or too slow to escape had merely added to your LOVE and EXP. By now you were a force of nature, too focused on your goal to be considered anything less than the physical embodiment of determination. Your stats were reaching their limits and you were so close to killing Asgore that you could taste freedom like it was poison on your lips.

You had walked into the final brightly lit hallway before Asgore’s throne room reveling in the silence. It felt like an ending. Something final. Absolute.

You felt a shift. A tiny error in the fabric of reality, and then suddenly you weren’t alone anymore.

“heya.”

On the other side stood Sans, his grin worn down, but still present (For a brief second, you wonder if its even possible for him to stop smiling, it’s not like you given him much reason to). The lights in his eyes were almost nonexistent, but the black abyss that surrounded the tiny dots glared at you lazily. His jacket was unzipped and he was still wearing those stupid slippers like he didn’t respect your power. You felt slighted, as even his incompetent brother had worn his battle armor when he challenged you.

The knife gleams eagerly in your hand, waiting for its next prey.

“you’ve been busy, huh?”

You don’t respond. You anxiously wait for the battle to begin and so you can continue on your way. You just hope he isn’t too weak, and wonder if that the EXP you gain from his death will be substantial. Honestly you’re a bit surprised Sans even appeared. He had been noticeably absent since you killed his brother. Was he going to try judging you? That’s a futile endeavor. You’re a killer, and you wear that badge with no hesitation. You don’t need a judge, someone to tell you about your sins as you were well aware already.

Maybe he wants to fight you. Maybe he hates you. Maybe he wants revenge. Those are feelings you can understand.

He pauses, and looks away as if he’s hesitating. Or is he stalling? You want him to get on with whatever he has to say, so you can start the battle. He looks back at you and continues his speech.

“so, i’ve got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change...?” Sans says seriously, and you think he’s an idiot, because hasn’t he seen the things you’ve done? He must know that you aren’t a person anymore. You aren’t a monster or even a human. You’re a demon. A remorseless killer.

Sans closes his eyes. You have the oddest impression that he is forcing himself to say these words.

“that anybody can be a good person, if they just try?”

Of course not. You’ve never been a good person, but you always have been the best demon. That wasn’t something to be proud of though. Even you know that.

This was pointless, and taking far too long. You want to fight. You want to kill. You knife is screaming. It wants blood, and you were tired of giving it such a terrible substitution like dust.

The quicker you can get rid of Sans, the quicker you can kill Asgore, the quicker you can reach the barrier.

The quicker you can reach _humanity._

You take a step forward.

But the fool doesn’t step back, like you expected him to. He doesn’t retreat, or tense up or anything.

He laughs.

Forget the knife. You want to strangle him. You want to personally end his life with your own two hands, but you don’t think you can strangle a skeleton. Maybe you can break every single one of his bones, one by one. Snap them with your feet, and grind them into dust, and dance in it. You want to watch his face as you do this, so you’ll save his head for last. Then you’ll crush that too. You want him to be horrified. How dare he laugh at you?! You want him to scream!

“alright. well, here’s a better question,” Sans says, still smiling _(SMILING!)_ at your expression.

“do you wanna have a bad time?”

Is he...?

“’cause, if you take another step forward....”

Is he threatening you?

“you’re really not going to like what happens next.”

He is. How dare he think that he could intimidate you. You. You worked too hard to be threatened by some two-bit player like Sans. He never even fought Frisk! And Frisk was more of a wishy washy goody two shoes pansy than even Asriel. Was the skeleton trying to commit suicide? If so... You’ll gladly assist.

You take another step. This time though, it’s not a threat. It’s a challenge. Part of you feels eager.

“welp,” he says while closing his eyes. “sorry, old lady.”

You think you know who he’s talking about. You don’t care.

“this is why i never make promises.”

The battle starts.

\----

“heya,” Sans says, in way of a greeting.

Your glare is fierce, but what comes through more than anger is shock. What the hell just happened? What were those skulls? You didn’t even see what just killed you, it happened too fast for you comprehend.

“you look frustrated about something. guess i’m pretty good at my job huh?”

The battle starts.

\----

Now he doesn’t even greet you.

“hmm. that expression....”

You got a slightly better look at his weapons, but you still died before you got your turn. Those lasers are strong. You know you need to memorize their patterns, or you’ll only die again. But you have already decided to discard you’re plan of crushing his bones. He needs to be taken out quickly. He can’t be allowed to have a second turn. One strike from your knife should do.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died twice in a row.”

...How does he know?

“Suffice to say, you look really...,” he winks, “...unsatisfied.”

Does he think this is a game? One that he can win?

“alright. how about we make it a third?”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

You made it past his opening attack last time, but it turns out that wasn’t enough. He’s a cheater. He dodged your attack like it was nothing, and then had the gall to look at you like you’re the stupid one. But of course you thought he’d just stand there and take it! Everyone else did!

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died thrice in a row...”

He knows way more than he should. Did this have something to do with those asinine ‘shortcuts’ he used when he was with Frisk? You had always thought those were suspicious.

“hey, what comes after “thrice,” anyway?

“wanna help me find out?”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

You had wasted all of your healing items in the first few turns, and died almost immediately after. Is it possible that your LOVE is too low? That you don’t have enough HP or DEF? Just what is Sans? Why is he here, blocking your path to victory? Even Flowey wasn’t this annoying. Now that you know attacks won’t work, you decide to check his stats this turn.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died quice in a row...”

He pauses.

“Quice, Frice?”

Even now, Sans still plays the role of the jokester. Your desire to strangle him returns with a vengeance.

“welp, won’t have to use that again anyways.”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

One.

He had one HP.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died five times in a row.”

One.

By all accounts, he should be the weakest enemy in the Underground. One was absolutely pathetic! Even whimsum had ten!

“convenient huh? that’s one for each finger.”

Your strategy now is to just hit him. He can’t keep dodging forever, and if you touch him once, it’ll end the fight immediately. One stab. One HP. The math was simple.

You just had to execute.

“but soon...”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

That wasn’t fair! How were you supposed to dodge that?!

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died six times in a row.”

Undyne had been a welcome challenge, but Sans was impossible. Why can’t he just die like everyone else you encountered?

“that’s the number on a mutant’s hand.”

You want to kill him so much.

“but soon...”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

You hate him.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died seven times in a row.”

Maybe even more than you hate humanity.

“hey, that’s good. seven’s supposed to be a lucky number.”

Maybe more than you hate Flowey.

“who knows, maybe you’ll hit the jackpot?”

Maybe even more than you hate yourself.

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

Shut up.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died eight times in a row.”

You just want him to shut up.

“that’s the number of fingers on a spider.”

You want it to be quiet again. But all you can hear is his lazy voice, angry music, and the sound of your burning flesh.

“but soon...”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

You’re beginning to twitch.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died seven times in a row.”

You think about screaming, but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction.

“nope, wait, that’s definitely nine. sorry.”

You scream inside your head instead.

“or was it ten?”

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

You’re not getting better. Not really. You keep dying on the same traps.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died ten times in a row...”

That’s the most terrifying thing of all.

“hey, congrats! the big one-oh! let’s invite your friends for a big shindig.”

You don’t want to spend an eternity here. You don’t even want to fight him anymore.

“we can have pie, hotdogs and...hmm. wait. something’s not right.”

You just want to kill him.

“you don’t have any friends.”

You just want to _hurt_ him.

The battle starts.

\----

“hmm. that expression...”

You’re not enough.

“that’s the expression of someone who’s died eleven times in a row...well, give or take.”

You’re not good enough.

“there’s nuance to this stuff. i don’t think i’ll be able to count very well from here.”

He’s stronger than you.

“count for me, ok?”

You felt, only for a slight second, your determination waver.

“we’ll start from twelve.”

The battle starts.

\----

You lost.

“let’s just get to the point.”

The battle starts.

\----

You failed.

“let’s just get to the point.”

The battle starts.

 

You were too slow.

“let’s just get to the point.”

The battle starts.

 

You mess up.

“let’s just get to the point.”

The battle starts.

 

You died.

“let’s just get to the point.”

The battle starts.

 

The battle starts.

 

The battle starts.  

 

The battle-


	2. t h e B E T

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _In which two desperate people hate each other enough to come to an agreement._

“let’s just get to the point.”

The battle starts.

You felt the familiar tugging on your SOUL, and see the bright red heart that was supposed to represent it appear in front of you. The false twilight of the hall is dimmed, and instead replaced with the inky darkness that outlines all battles in the Underground.

Sans begins with his usual monologue. You don’t pay attention, but instead prepare yourself to dodge. You know sometimes he decides to start the fight early in an attempt to catch you off guard.

“kids like you...”

You feel tense, but his opening attack is something you’ve finally gotten down. It should only take off half your health, and after a quick snack, you’ll be ready for round two.

“...should be burning hell.”

So it begins.

The skull’s light flash, lasers (You think they’re lasers, and no one has told you otherwise) fire towards your person. They are bright and since your eyes had just gotten accustomed to the darkness, they momentarily blind you. You managed to move quickly enough to avoid most of the damage. You follow the strict pattern you’ve developed to avoid them. Jump. Right. Middle. Down. Up. Up!

You made it, but KR is still steadily draining your health.

“huh. i always wondered why-”

You tune him out, and instead snack on L. Hero. Sans doesn’t react to your blatant disregard for his speech. Maybe he knows that you’ve already heard it. Maybe he doesn’t care whether or not he has an audience. It doesn’t feel like he’s talking to you anyway. More like he just talking **at** you, and sharing his thoughts.

He attacks when you finish your snack. Your heart turns blue, but you know to jump the second your SOUL hits a surface to avoid the bones that will explode under you.

It’s your turn again.

FIGHT

You try to hit him, but like always he moves to the side and gives you that look, like he’s already bored with you, and that he doesn’t understand why you even tried. “what,” he says, “you think I’m just going to stand there and take it?”

No. Of course not. But you think Sans should take his passive aggressive tone _and shove it-!_

You blink when you realize that you’re mentally responding to his inquires in your head, and almost get you head taken off by a low hanging bone he throws at you in result. You remind yourself to stay focused.

You still need to kill him.

FIGHT

You try to hurt him again. He dodges just as easily.

“our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time space continuum...” Sans says. Every fight he always says the same things. It was all topics that Sans should know nothing about if he truly was the lazy, unmotivated skeleton he convinced the entire Underground he was. He always referred to you as the ‘anomaly’. The entity he blamed for the messed up time stream they were all stuck in and at the very least you think it’s a better descriptor than ‘human’. You could repeat it back to him you’ve heard it so much, and you would (just to see how he reacts) if you weren’t so focused on trying to kill him.

Instead, you continue this tired song and dance. You attack. He dodges. He attacks. You dodge. He speaks. You seethe. Nothing progresses until you make a mistake and die. And then you have the pleasure of doing it all over again from the beginning.

You’re getting tired of this. You almost want to reset. Reset back to the very beginning, back to the ruins, just so you can feel like you’re making progress again. Just so you can kill something.

Sans stops suddenly.

“you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?”

This was new.

Sans closes his eyes like he’s meditating, but you can see sweat begin to form on his skull. Was this progress...? Were you close to winning?

“i know you didn’t answer me before, but...somewhere in there. i can feel it.”

What the hell?

“there’s a glimmer of a good person inside you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing.”

Is this a trap? Because, if so, it is the laziest, dumbest, and most incompetent attempt at a trap you have ever witnessed.

“someone who, in another time, might have been...a friend?”

You feel a twitch in your SOUL. You beat it down.

“c’mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you’re listening...”

This trap was terrible. If he thought appealing to your merciful side would have even the slightest chance of working, then he must have been sleeping throughout your time in the Underground. You’re not like _them._

“...let’s forget all this, ok?”

You’re not like Asriel.

“just, lay down your weapon, and...well...”

You’re not like Frisk.

“my job will be a lot easier.”

You are a demon.

You FIGHT.

Sans’s expression changes. His eye burns gold and blue.

The fury of attacks that follows strike you down quicker than you could possibly counter.

...

..

.

“let’s just get to the point.”

\---

It took a while, but you’re back here again. This isn’t the first time you’ve returned, but it is the first time you felt prepared.

Sans is trying to appeal to your nonexistent mercy, and you take that moment to eat some steak. Your health is almost maxed, and you feel your determination burn.

FIGHT.

He dodges. His eye glows, and time space warps suddenly.

Bones fly at your feet, you jump. [Switch.] Bones over your head, you duck. [Switch.] Bones are coming in at both sides, you twist in the air. [Switch.] Bones come from the left. You move right. [Switch.] More bones on all sides. You spin and only get minor scratches on your arms and legs. [Switch.] You’re falling.

You’re falling too fast. You hit the ground dazed, and forget to jump again to avoid the bones. It hurts only for a second.

...

..

.

“let’s just get to the point”

\---

Sans is asking for mercy and you don’t care.

This was pointless. This was so, so pointless, that you can’t comprehend why you’re still doing this. But you feel that you have to. You have to keep going, or everything you did to get here will be pointless as well.

You did so many horrible things. You pushed this world to the edge. To the brink. This time line will never recover. You deserve to see the ending you have created. You deserve to be rewarded. You deserve to be punished.

“just lay down your weapon, and well...my job will be a lot easier.”

_“_ _Never_ _.”_

You spit out the word with all the venom and frustration building up inside you before you can stop yourself.

Sans looks at you for a long time. You think he is shocked, but you’re not very good at reading expressions. Especially when all you have to work with is his eyes, as the rest of his skull seems incapable of changing. You’ve never cared to understand others much, and the few you’ve ever tried to understand...well.

Well nothing. They’re not your problem anymore.

“you...”

Sans’ voice breaks you out of your thoughts, and brings you back to the fight. He probably could have killed you while you were distracted, but luckily he seemed equally distracted.

No. Distracted is the wrong word. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you since the moment this battle started. He is simply surprised. Frisk was quiet, but you haven’t moved your lips since the moment you took over this body. That’s mostly because you don’t like the way your voice sounds with their vocal cords. It sounds wrong. It is natural on Frisk, who speaks only when they have to, in a somber and patient tone. However, you aren’t a patient person. When you speak, you make bold proclamations and demands. It once sounded fine with your old body’s strong vocal cords. But now you always sound vulnerable with Frisk’s quiet, raspy from disuse voice.

Besides, when you think about it, there was no one to talk to. Everyone was just another victim. They were just points to make you stronger.

“you responded...?”

His voice has taken another quality to it. His eyes are still glaring at you, but it isn’t shock anymore. His eyes are narrowed and...It’s something more refined. More complicated.

He’s analyzing you.

You don’t want to respond. If you do, you know that the consequences of speaking to him means that you are acknowledging that he is another person, and not just a number. Not just EXP. You think about restarting this battle. Pretend this never happened. However, at the same time you’re not sure that would work. Would he know? Would he remember? If he did, that would show weakness as well. He would see it as you running away. You can’t afford to show any flaw in your defense to Sans. He was one of the few creatures who would know how to use it against you.

For once, LOADING may not erase your problems.

The only option is to try to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

“Shut _up_ ,” You say, but you speak too loud for Frisk’s voice, and it cracks on the word ‘up’. You sound so weak. Like a child having a tantrum. You hate it.

Sans is still analyzing you. You think he’s planning something, so you shift your weight, and prepare to dodge at the slightest twitch of his hand.

“so the friendless anomaly _can_ speak...but the offer still remains. do you wanna accept my mercy?”

FIGHT

Sans dodges easily, but surprisingly with an unnecessary flip in the air. You know he isn’t just showing off, as Sans never puts more effort into a task than what is strictly necessary. He wants to demonstrate the difference in skill between you, but you don’t know why. 

“…i didn’t think you would,” Sans says, with a shrug when he lands. He raises his hand.

You are already jumping to dodge the attack, but are surprised to see nothing happened. Sans is still just staring at you with his hand raised.

You don’t dare loosen your grip on your knife.

“you’re not the type of person to accept mercy,” Sans says after a long while, hand still outstretched, in position to attack. “especially when you’re so close to your goal.”

Somehow, his eternal grin becomes a bit more mocking, “especially when _i’m_ the one in your way.”

“look. anomaly. i don’t really know what you want. i don’t really care either, since it probably isn’t good,” Sans continues. “i once thought that maybe you were doing this ‘cause you were unhappy. that if you got what you want, you’d stop. i see now that was naïve on my part. you’re too focused on your goal- too determined- to even know what the phrase ‘quit while you’re ahead’ even means.”

You’re only half listening, because you’re still waiting for that surprise attack. All it would take a flick of his wrist to have gravity shift, and fling you towards the floor. You don’t understand why he hasn’t yet. You need him to fight you. He has to do an action or else you’ll be stuck on his turn forever. You don’t want to talk to Sans a second longer than you have to.

You must end this conversation as quickly as possible.

“I despise you,” you interrupt him in the hopes that he’d take the hint.

“i don’t exactly hold a high opinion of you either,” Sans deadpanned back. “but we’re not talking about me here. it’s you, who has the problem.”

To emphasize the fact he wasn’t about to let this conversation go, Sans puts his right hand in his jacket’s pocket as if to get comfortable. You quickly note that he left his left hand pointed at your SOUL, just in case.

“My only problem is that you refuse to die,” you sneer.

“and trust me anomaly…that ain’t a problem you’re going to be solving anytime soon. so in the meantime, why don’t we have a nice civil conversation,” Sans’s smile suggested that any conversation between the two of you could never be considered ‘nice’ or ‘civil’.

You tell yourself not to respond.

“the silent treatment won’t work this time…and if it does…well.”

If you respond, you know you won’t be able to stop.

“well… we can do it again in the next run.”

Don’t respond.

“i’m sure you have some questions.”

Stay determined.

“so why not?”

Don’t respond. DON’T RESP-

“…Chara.”

“ _How do you know that name?!_ ” you ask, letting your curiosity get the better of you. Damn it.

“just a good guess,” Sans shrugged non-committedly.

It was such a blatant lie, that you didn’t even know where to begin.

Seeing your face of disbelief, Sans amended to his statement, “i guess you’re not buying that. i used to hang around the royal scientist, and well…let’s just say, after i saw a few home movies, it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.”

You blink. You weren’t expecting a legitimate answer.

“Royal scientist? You’re friends with the anime failure?”

It shouldn’t surprise you. Sans seems to know everyone in the Underground, and in turn they all seem to hold favorable opinions of him. However, to have Alphys trust him well enough to show him the True Lab reveals a level of committed friendship that you once thought Sans was incapable of. It would imply considerably more effort than taking the lizard out for Grillby’s (and then refusing to pay).

Sans doesn’t seem interested in answering your question, and instead elects to remain quiet. You take his silence as a confirmation.

You try to ask another question, but Sans interrupts you.

“wait a minute, kiddo,” he says, “i think you got this a little mixed up. we’re having a conversation- not an interrogation.”

“…So?”

“so... that means i’m entitled to a few answers of my own.”

Ah. Now you understand why Sans wanted to talk with you. He, too, was curious. He probably wants an explanation to the carnage. He probably wants to know why his brother had to die.

You smile.

“Go ahead, and ask. It won’t change fate.”

There is a long silence. Perhaps Sans is trying to find the way to word his question? It doesn’t matter, as this gives you time to think of the perfect way to word your answer. You’re a demon who comes when their name is called, and you’re explanation of your actions should be just as demonic. You’ll go into details about your desire for LOVE and power, and you’ll revel in Sans’s expression when you divulge him in gruesome details of some of your favorite kills.

Finally, he speaks.

“how many times have I killed you?”

And you’re stunned silent.

What?

_What kind of question was that?_

Sans takes advantage of your shock, and continues.

“i asked you to count didn’t i? even if i don’t personally remember, by your expression, i’d say it’s been a lot.” He laughs, “so. heh. i guess the question really is…”

His eyes lose their light, and his smile turns sinister.

“when it comes down to it, which one of us is the better killer?”

“I slaughtered the entire Underground!” you shout.

“no. you didn’t. you tried, but alphys has already evacuated most of the citizens. and you still can’t kill me. so i wonder, where does this leave us? you. a killer. and me. the killer of killers.”

“I’ll kill you too,” you say, and the words taste like a promise, “I’ll come back, again, forever, until I kill you twice for every time you’ve killed me. You know I can. You know I will.”

For once, Sans reacts like you expected him to. He winces at the thought of his deaths, but then quickly recovers.

“i’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“It will. I have as much time as I need,” Because, if there was one thing in the world you had left, it was time.

“…i’ll give you that. but you’re determined, not patient. how long do you think it’ll take before you figure out a way to win?”

“If you’d just let me kill you, I wouldn’t need _patience_.”

“true. but i’m not feeling that charaitable right now.”

...Was that a pun?

Sans winks. 

It _was._ He used your name in a pun! A _bad one_ too! You’re about to tell him off for such an insult, but his face returns to it’s deadly serious mask.

“you’re pretty determined to win, aren’t cha?”

You feel like you’re walking into another trap. Still...you’re interested in finding out where this goes.

“Obviously,” you answer.

“ and you’re not a creature that would accept mercy…”

Of course not. Mercy is for the weak, and you are the strongest.

“but maybe i can make you another offer.”

An offer...? How stupid.

“I don’t want anything from you except your EXP,” you say.

“well, uh. actually it’s not really an offer, more like a bet.”

“Don’t care.”

You’re being unreasonable, but again, you don’t care. You have to win, and this- whatever it is- will not help you with your goal. You’re getting tired of wasting time.

Sans just shrugs off your attitude like always.

“i kinda figured. that’s why I’m going to make the reward for winning something even you can’t refuse.”

“I am determination incarnate, a demonic entity who gains power from death. What could you possibly offer me, that I haven’t already discarded?” 

Sans closes his eyes, and takes a deep long breath. The room is so quiet, you could almost hear Frisk’s heartbeat.

“i know a shortcut.”

A shortcut....?

“To where exactly?”

“winning.”

“I...don’t comprehend. Stop being vague.”

“if you win the bet, you also win this battle.”

That’s...Does he understand what he’s saying?!

“I will kill you if I win.”

“i know.”

“And I’ll kill everyone.”

“i know.”

“I’ll destroy the timelines!”

“i know.”

“...”

You don’t know how to respond to this. Why would he even suggest this? What does he get?

“And if you win?”

**“y o u  n e v e r  c o m e  b a c k.”**

There is a tremendous weight to his words. You don’t know how or why, but you believe him.

“Why should I agree to such a ridicules concept? I can kill you here, and not deal with the risk.”

“because, you can’t actually kill me, since i keep killing you first. and i’m not even really trying to kill you yet.”

You want to object, but can’t find the words. You know the true battle hasn’t even started yet, and you’re still dying. It’s been a long time since you first fought Sans, how much more will it take before you finally win?

“What’s the bet?” You purposely keep your voice light and disinterested.

“it’s easy. frisk must have done it a thousand times by now.”

Sans grin slips just slightly. He looks away from your face.

“you just have to get the monsters to the surface.”

What...

What the hell is wrong with this monster?

You don’t understand his motivations. What is this? What does he think he’s doing?!

“I’d have to reset! And how is that a shortcut...? Getting to the surface takes forever! Frisk takes at least a two days even when they’re rushing! I-” You speak quickly in your confusion, and your words run together.

“two days? for freeing the monsters after being sealed for centuries, i’d say that’s pretty fast. i bet we’ve been fighting longer than two days already.”

You say nothing, because it’s been longer than a week.

“if you’re worried about me keeping my end. well. you know me. i don’t like making promises, but when i do, i tend to keep ‘em. and bets are sort of like promises, ‘cept the cost of failure is already known.”

“Regardless, I can beat you with my own power.”

You both know it's true, but Sans already has a counter.

“you know, i haven’t even used my special attack yet.”

Special….attack…?

He can’t-

He can’t be serious.

No. He’s bluffing. He has to be. You can still win this. You don’t need to-

Sans interrupts your thoughts again.

“so before you say anything that may not be in your best interests, let me tell you a little secret. you may think you’re having a bad time now, but trust me…”

Suddenly, as if summoned by the darkness, skulls surround you-more than you thought Sans was capable of. Their lasers were ready to fire, and all were aimed at you. Just as suddenly, your SOUL turns blue, and you are slammed into the ground. Sans didn’t summon any bones, or else you know you would have immediately died. Then, he raises his hand. You hurtle towards the ceiling, and you hit it so hard you hear something crack. Whether it’s the ceiling or your bones, you have no idea. It hurts enough that you believe it was both. Then you heart returns to red. You fall not softly onto the floor. You don’t think you can get up. You don’t bother to try.

“…i can do far worse.”

For the first time in a long time, you feel something stir within you.

You don’t want to name the emotion.

“so, kiddo,” Sans’s dull voice looms above you, “do we have a bet?”

You don’t understand. You don’t understand! You don’t- You worked so, so, so hard. Why…? Why does this always happen? Why does someone always….!

You don’t let yourself finish that thought.

Focus. You must focus.

That’s how you’ve always gotten through every obstacle that’s been in your way.

What do you want?

What is your goal?

What are you determined to do?

You know the answers, and you know your options. Like always, you should take the path that offers the most direct route to your goal.

You’re not strong enough to kill Sans. Not yet. And he’s right. You’re not a patient person. Two days was a lot shorter than the week you’ve spent so far (If it was even a week, it could have easily been longer).

So…

You know what you must do.

“Deal.” Your voice shakes slightly.

“thought so. i guess we have to end this battle then for you to rese-“

“I’m not going to accept your mercy,” you interrupt. You still have your pride, and mercy- especially Sans’s mercy- is not an option. Not after this.

“see. here’s the thing. i wasn’t offering any.”

You notice that the skulls that surround you, haven’t disappeared. They grin down at you, mouths open. A second later, light burns your body. You don’t have time to mentally prepare yourself for the pain.

It hurts. A lot.

And yet, you don’t scream.

You refuse to let him have that sort of victory.

\---

The darkness in between realities is an odd place. Your SOUL is shattered, and yet it is only here that you can use the full force of your determination. It is only in death, that your power over the timelines take shape, effectively making you immortal. It is only at the end that you can begin.

How…typical for you.

As always, two choices loom above you.

Continue? Reset?

You reach for a button, while thinking back to your bet.

Sans’s bet is obviously a trap. There’s no way he’d let you go through a normal pacifist run, without some sort of manufactured roadblocks. Perhaps he’ll kill Flowey early, so there was would be no possible way for you to open the barrier without sacrificing your SOUL. You’ll have to tell the weed to stay away from the skeleton’s path more than usual, maybe going so far as to avoid speaking to Papyrus as well. Perhaps he’ll alert the King to your presence early, and have Asgore hunt you down from the second you leave the ruins. Maybe he’ll use Undyne. Whatever it is, you know for certain he won’t stand there and take it. Not this time.

Even so. You don’t think twice, because hesitation is beneath you. Instead you let your determination fill you, giving yourself enough power to do what needs to be done.

*You promise yourself that you’ll be back.

*DETERMINATION 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took a little while longer to do than I initially anticipated, but life was pretty busy so what can you do? Just a warning, updates might continue to be sort of slow (However, hopefully faster than this!), as I'm working in a "as I feel like it" basis. 
> 
> Anyway, like always- any thoughts, comments or concerns are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Yo, so this is my first Undertale fanfiction, and also my first fanfiction on this website. I have a general idea where I want this to go, but suggestions and comments are always appreciated! Next chapter will actually include the bet, and after that will be the reset where most of this fic will take place. Chara trying to complete a pacifist run will be very different than Frisk, but will Chara learn anything from the experience, or will they retreat back to old habits? Only time will tell... 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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